OK, I seem to do these threads in twos! I promise I won't make a habit of it.
Spaceman and my friend Mixiewings have got me asking, WHY DO WE FAV OUR FAVS?
Last week I thought I would go and enjoy Mixiewings favs and found that there was a significant differential between the numbers of hers and mine. Now Spaceman has said he only has a few too. I find that really interesting and that the answer can help us to define what particular images mean the most to us. The answer could also be fairly fundamental to us as we develop as photographers.
For me the images I fav can be a type of picture I might aspire to but my favs are also a number of other things. I like to put my money where my mouth is, so where I am being particularly ebullient in my comments I have to conclude it's a fav. If I don't I either temper my language or it's a borderline fav! I certainly want my favs to carry some weight to the person I am favving, as I know how encouraging it can be.
I can't say I would never fav something because of its technical brilliance, as this is where I have most to learn, so I might fav something so I can return to a particular example of the clever stuff. However, I am least likely to do that or to fav something that looks overworked on Photoshop or the like, as it can feel 'manmade'. It can also feel overly manipulative in the way that overdone music in a film is designed to achieve a certain reaction. That said, I am enjoying such tools for the first time!
One thing all my favs have in common are that I want to come back to them over and over again, which I get immense pleasure from doing. However, my main reason for favving is because of an emotional response, special lighting, soulfulness and mood perhaps, or because something just inexplicably pressed by buttons.
Certainly, for me favving has resulted in the most wonderfully inspirational collection of pictures from fellow 365ers, which I also share with other photographic enthusiasts to inspire them, so I love it's value in this sense too.
I hope this stimulates further thoughts on the matter, as it goes with my other thread of 'your favourite fav from between 12th-18th November', and I am fascinated by why people like what they like, as well as what they are least likely to fav.
There is an overwhelming variety of excellent photos on this website,but for me,a "fav" has to be something unique,abstract or deep.
But that`s just me.I`m also very picky about the people I follow,I don`t want too many.I like to remember each person`s last uploaded photo,when I`m not even online :) You will never see me with 100+ "friends" here.
i favD photo bec its interesting ..... if its something NEW TO ME, if i like it ALOT. its not a mandatory thing .... not also an obligation and not a BIG deal .... =) i love to fav!
=) PEACE!
i tend to be in martin's camp, the same on here as on social networking sites or phone presets or anything. I like to avoid clutter so a "fav" isn't just a photo I liked a lot--I will leave a comment for those. My favs are photos I could look at every day and never get tired of
I try not to make rules about anything. I fav things that tend to really jump out at me. Either because they are visually striking, or because it moves me in a way that makes me feel something. Some of my fav's evoke an emotion, or a thought. They don't have to be "great" photos. But they are great to me. I can't always qualify what makes it good. Like all art, it sort of depends on the person viewing it.
I fav because of the way a picture makes me feel. I tend to fav because of the colors as I am so drawn to color. I fav because I want to find that photo agian quickly or to be able to recapture the way I felt when I first looked at it. Ususally it is something that reminds me of some place I have been, or want to go to or it makes me feel warmth or captures the light beautifully.
I don't fav photos because when I started I saw so many that I liked for different reasons I figured I'd end up with too many in there for them to really mean anything as a collection and then... just never bothered. There's plenty of photographs, and photographers, that I'm a huge fan of... just I never got around to clicking that button and it seems a bit late now.
I Fave photos that make me laugh, make me go, "oooh," or make me feel something. Usually I will end up laughing, oooh'ing or feeling something when I view them again. Better than a movie and popcorn.
I'm hard pressed to justify my individual favs. Sure, I have to like the shot a lot, but why? I have 18 favs, one third of which are portraits - which I never do (maybe subconsciously I aspire to be a portrait taker, but haven't the courage). A few are humour, spontaneous shots - not the staged stuff. Some are just (IMHO) just stunningly brilliant technically and/or subject-wise.
Here's where I stand to be shot down (a) the identity of the photo-taker does matter, I tend not to fav members whom I think are near professional, they don't need my amateur pat-on-the-back. (b) a story behind a shot can significantly affect my opinion of the picture - maybe it shouldn't, but it does.
there are many other reasons, i often go through my fav's to find inspiration (even if it doesn't show through in my photos) it's a good catalogue of ideas and I feel that if people looked through my favs they could see the sort of person I would aspire to be.
I fav photos that I would want to keep in a little album under my bed to look back on in a few years :) I dont really have a certain subject I fav or anything like that... I just fav photos because I like them A LOT!
Gosh - I'm wanting to go rummaging in people's favs now but I'll ask first! I so love mine that people are most welcome to go take a look and see if you discover anyone you haven't seen before.
Well, I just looked at how many Favs I have, and its 20. and mainly because for some reason or another it spoke to me on that day. If I go back to that photo in a different mood I may have a different reaction to it, Not that I would unfav it, but I certainly react differently to it..
I fav a pic for all the reasons above, but I also fav it if I think it is a really outstanding shot for that particular person.They may not be the "best" phtographer on this site but it's one of their best pics (if I'm making any sense?).
I fave something if I find it truly inspiring, like if it's something I've always wanted to achieve with photography myself but never been able to.
And, I agree, there has to be an element of emotional response to it - technical brilliance alone won't cut it... there has to be feeling attached to it.
I'm also a sucker for shallow dof stuff. 99% of my faves are shallow dof. xD
Also I have more faves than I have photos. xD Siiigh, soooo much gorgeousness here on this site!!
yep, all about how it makes you feel. for me it is such a glorious time just me looking at all these talented people and shouting oh my come look at this!
I fave a photo because it makes me happy, the color excites me, the subject inspires me, there is a technique I am eager to learn... In nearly every instance, I have an emotional response tied to it. I fave it so I can go back and relive the feeling. =)
Everyone of the photos i have faved,Have been for many different reasons,1st reason is if it makes me go Wow which in truth a hell of a lot of them do as there is so much talent on 365.It can be the right light,right colour or just a cute fluffy cat(yi[p any animal usually gets my vote as i have done animals all my life & appreciate what it takes to get a good shot) To start with i was pretty gung ho with my favs like an excited school girl & perhaps when i look back through them i think there would maybe be 1 or 2 i wouldnt fav again.But that day i did it maybe made me laugh,smile,or cry So to thats what its all about.
For you Miranda your photos always make me feel something it might be sadness or warmness,your portraits are amazing & thats why they are my Favs x
@miranda Hi ya - I really started photographing with 365. Before that i was a very very occasional snapper. 365 which I love, presented me with various challenges apart from the obvious one of taking a photograph every day. There are so many excellent photographers on 365 and to begin with i found it impossible to fav anything. The standard was overwhelming and i didn't know where to begin. i wasn't used to looking at photography on a daily basis or 'studying' shots. i needed to be clearer on what i liked about a photograph and why. Also i needed to get into it, to understand the process better, through the process of taking regular shots. 226 days later I feel i have a much better grasp of everything than when I first started, have more confidence to try things out and engage directly with other 365ers work. 365 is a continuous joy.
i faveD anything wether it's food,music,fashion,art,people as long as it gives me that OOooww-- what a relief !!- feeling.My faves are my personal collections...that slaps my face with a smile,something that gives me satisfaction and Orgaaaasm....(not in x-rated way)...if u know,what i mean:)Peace and Love 2 all.!!
@mixiewing Thanks to you Hilary - I am here (not meant to be today but it's damned irresistible). I think the high number of my favs reflect the high standard, technically and creatively of what appears here. There isn't one that wouldn't be there.
THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO IS CONTRIBUTING TO THIS - it is so fascinating and there seems to be a lot of overlap, but also a lot of diversity about how favs are used. However, I think it is a great mechanism to encourage people in their photography, and I hope this thread encourages people to fav (some claim to have forgotten the existence of the button), as well as encourages them to go the the 'photographic galleries' of individual 365ers. Love it that Ross used his favs as evidence behind each of his reasons for favving - I might have a crack at that - but not tonight, just dropping by. Back to work.
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But that`s just me.I`m also very picky about the people I follow,I don`t want too many.I like to remember each person`s last uploaded photo,when I`m not even online :) You will never see me with 100+ "friends" here.
=) PEACE!
Speaking of which, Family Guuuuy :D (oh yeah, I still need a photo)
Here's where I stand to be shot down (a) the identity of the photo-taker does matter, I tend not to fav members whom I think are near professional, they don't need my amateur pat-on-the-back. (b) a story behind a shot can significantly affect my opinion of the picture - maybe it shouldn't, but it does.
technique: http://365project.org/ms6/365/2010-11-04
technical quality: http://365project.org/kabbage/365/2010-11-05
minimalist: http://365project.org/froirivera/365/2010-08-31
creative: http://365project.org/snowball/365/2010-10-07
there are many other reasons, i often go through my fav's to find inspiration (even if it doesn't show through in my photos) it's a good catalogue of ideas and I feel that if people looked through my favs they could see the sort of person I would aspire to be.
And, I agree, there has to be an element of emotional response to it - technical brilliance alone won't cut it... there has to be feeling attached to it.
I'm also a sucker for shallow dof stuff. 99% of my faves are shallow dof. xD
Also I have more faves than I have photos. xD Siiigh, soooo much gorgeousness here on this site!!
For you Miranda your photos always make me feel something it might be sadness or warmness,your portraits are amazing & thats why they are my Favs x
THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO IS CONTRIBUTING TO THIS - it is so fascinating and there seems to be a lot of overlap, but also a lot of diversity about how favs are used. However, I think it is a great mechanism to encourage people in their photography, and I hope this thread encourages people to fav (some claim to have forgotten the existence of the button), as well as encourages them to go the the 'photographic galleries' of individual 365ers. Love it that Ross used his favs as evidence behind each of his reasons for favving - I might have a crack at that - but not tonight, just dropping by. Back to work.